The Wait / La espera (1972)

Oil painting on linen / Oleo sobre lino

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The Wait / La espera (1972)
Oil painting on linen / oleo sobre lino

Although many elements of Minimalism and Op-Art can be found in The Wait, the overriding aesthetic alludes to a gradual shift away from the two-dimensional medium of the canvas. This is evident in the staging of the painting, which derives its composition and use of perspective from the famous Diego Velázquez masterpiece, Las meninas. Moreover, the statue in the middle of the museum gallery is construed as an installation, a monument to the scorned lover. It is one of several playful allusions to this narrative of heartbreak, which is presented in media res. The floor, for example, is a chessboard, echoing the geometric patterns found in Op-Art to signify the perils of courtship. Unable to “make a move,” the protagonist waits in vain, like a pawn, until they are “petrified”—hardened into yet another statue on display in the gallery. Here, the message is clear: the art of unrequited love is tied to nothing more than vanity, that is, a naive longing for attention.